| Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satelliteAdaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070192805, Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001]The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/773,490, filed Feb. 15, 2006, entitled "Adaptive Spotbeam Broadcasting, Systems, Methods And Devices For High Bandwidth Content Distribution Over Satellite," the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002]This invention relates to wireless communications systems, methods and devices, and more particularly to satellite broadcasting systems, methods and devices. BACKGROUND [0003]Wireless broadcasting is well known for television and radio content. As used herein, "broadcasting" means simultaneously sending the same content to multiple recipients. A distinction is sometimes made between broadcasting and multicasting, wherein broadcasting sends the content to everyone on a network, whereas multicasting sends content to a select list of recipients. As used herein, "broadcasting" is used generically to mean simultaneously sending the same content to all or a subset of all wireless terminals on a network. [0004]Satellite broadcasting is widely used for multimedia (audio and/or video) content. For example, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems, such as marketed by DirecTV and/or EchoStar, broadcast television content to fixed and/or mobile terminals. Satellite radio systems, such as marketed by XM-Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, broadcast audio to fixed and/or mobile terminals. [0005]Broadcasting of high bandwidth multimedia (video as well as audio) content to relatively low gain portable wireless terminals may present a challenge. In particular, high bandwidth streaming media, such as video and/or high fidelity audio over satellite, may present particular challenges. More specifically, in wide area broadcasting, it is desirable for adequate power flux density to be provided by the satellite over the entirety of a targeted coverage area. Such an area might be, for example, substantially all of the United States and Southern Canada. When the coverage area is large, as in the above example, the satellite antenna gain generally is relatively small, as the antenna gain generally is inversely proportional to the coverage area that it must span. However, high bandwidth content generally requires/uses high power because it generally provides transmission at a high information rate. Thus, the broadcast of such content over a large area may use a relatively high level of aggregate effective isotropic radiated power, or AEIRP, in the satellite. This tends to make the satellite complex and expensive. [0006]Conventionally, dedicated broadcast satellites have used relatively low gain antennas coupled to relatively high gain Power Amplifiers (PAs). Even then, it may be difficult to provide video broadcast to user terminals with low antenna gain, such as cellular/PCS terminals, over large coverage areas, although trials involving direct satellite broadcast to hand held devices over relatively small geographic areas have been conducted. FIG. 1 shows an example of a satellite coverage map for a single-beam broadcast satellite covering a geographic area of the USA and Southern Canada. [0007]As used herein, the term "user terminal" includes terrestrial cellular and/or satellite cellular radioterminals with or without a multi-line display; terminals that may combine a radioterminal with data processing, facsimile and/or data communications capabilities; Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) that can include a radio frequency transceiver and/or a pager, Internet/Intranet access, Web browser, organizer, calendar and/or a global positioning system (GPS) and/or GLONASS receiver; and/or conventional laptop and/or palmtop computers or other appliances, which include a radio frequency transceiver. As used herein, the term "user terminal" also includes any other wireless user device that may have time-varying or fixed geographic coordinates, and may be portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle (aeronautical, maritime, or land-based), or situated and/or configured to operate locally and/or in a distributed fashion at any other location(s) on earth and/or in space. A user terminal also may be referred to herein as a "cellular radiotelephone," "cellular terminal", "radiotelephone", "wireless terminal" or simply as a "terminal." SUMMARY [0008]Some embodiments of the invention provide satellite broadcasting methods that include providing information to a plurality of user terminals in at least one satellite spotbeam in response to receiving a request for the information from at least a threshold number of user terminals within the at least one satellite spotbeam. [0009]The methods may further include receiving an indication that one of the plurality of user terminals in the at least one spotbeam has terminated receiving the information, determining if the threshold number of user terminals in the at least one satellite spotbeam are receiving the information, and in response to a determination that fewer than the threshold number of user terminals are receiving the information in the at least one spotbeam, terminating transmission of the information in the at least one spotbeam. The threshold number of user terminals may be one. Providing the information may include broadcasting a program signal over a broadcast channel. [0010]The methods may further include transmitting intelligence regarding the information in the at least one satellite spotbeam. The intelligence identifies a start time, end time, time slot, frequency, spreading code and/or subchannel(s) associated with the information. The intelligence may be transmitted over a broadcast control channel. The intelligence may identify a channel, time slot, spreading code and/or frequency on which the information is broadcast in the spot beam. [0011]The methods may further include transmitting intelligence regarding broadcasting the information in an adjacent spotbeam. The intelligence may identify a channel, time slot, spreading code and/or frequency on which the information is broadcast in the adjacent spot beam. The methods may further include transmitting intelligence regarding broadcasting the information in an ancillary terrestrial component, wherein the intelligence identifies a channel, time slot, spreading code and/or frequency on which the information is broadcast by the ancillary terrestrial component. In particular, the intelligence may identify a channel, time slot, spreading code and/or frequency on which the program is broadcast by an ancillary terrestrial component in the at least one spotbeam. [0012]The methods may further include authenticating a user terminal in response to the request for the information. The methods may further include transmitting a decryption key to the user terminal in response to authenticating the user terminal, wherein the decryption key is configured to decrypt the information. The decryption key may be encrypted prior to being transmitted to the user terminal. [0013]The methods may further include, if information is not being broadcast in the at least one spotbeam at a time a request for information is received from a user terminal, receiving an indication from the user terminal of an ability of the user terminal to receive information from an ancillary terrestrial component and/or from an adjacent spotbeam. Receiving the indication from the user terminal may include receiving an indication of signal quality from the user terminal. The indication of signal quality may include an indication of signal strength, signal to noise ratio, signal to interference ratio and/or bit error rate. [0014]Providing information may include transmitting the information in the at least one spotbeam in response to the indication of signal quality being less than a threshold signal quality level. Providing information may include transmitting the information on a dedicated channel/code/time slot different from a channel/code/time slot used for two-way cellular satellite communications in the at least one spotbeam. [0015]The methods may further include storing an indication of a program subscription by a user terminal, and, responsive to an indication that a user terminal has entered a spotbeam in which the subscribed program is being transmitted, transmitting a notification to the user terminal of the availability of the subscribed program. [0016]The methods may further include adjusting a property of the information in response to the indication of quality received by the gateway from the user terminal. Adjusting a property of the information may include adjusting a signal level, data rate, bandwidth, and/or channel of the information. The methods may further include adjusting a property of the information if a threshold number/percent of a plurality of user terminals report a low signal quality. [0017]Receiving an indication that the user terminal has entered the spotbeam in which the subscribed program is being broadcast may include receiving a location update from the user terminal. [0018]Methods of receiving information broadcast in a satellite spotbeam at a user terminal according to some embodiments of the invention include registering the user terminal in the satellite spotbeam, receiving intelligence about the information from a satellite associated with the satellite spotbeam, wherein the intelligence identifies a start time, end time, time slot, frequency, spreading code and/or subchannel(s) associated with the information, and tuning a receiver in the user terminal to the time slot, frequency, spreading code and/or subchannel(s) identified in the intelligence. [0019]Receiving the intelligence may include receiving intelligence regarding a channel/time slot/spreading code and/or subchannel(s) on which the information is broadcast in the spot beam. Receiving the intelligence may include receiving the intelligence regarding a channel/time slot/spreading code and/or subchannel(s) on which the information is broadcast in an adjacent spot beam and/or by an ancillary terrestrial component. [0020]The methods may further include receiving components of the information from adjacent spotbeams and/or ancillary terrestrial components and combining the components of the information at the user terminal. Combining may include combining at least one signal from an adjacent spotbeam with a signal from an ancillary terrestrial component. Combining may include frequency translating the components, performing carrier, frame and/or symbol synchronization on the components, and combining the components. The methods may further include determining a signal to noise power ratio of at least one of the components, and combining may be performed in response to the at least one signal to noise power ratio. Continue reading about Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite... Full patent description for Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method and apparatus for providing broadcast content in upnp network Next Patent Application: Multimedia content redirection method Industry Class: Interactive video distribution systems ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Adaptive spotbeam broadcasting, systems, methods and devices for high bandwidth content distribution over satellite patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14362 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
